London, UK, www.nomoreshadows.com

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NO MORE SHADOWS

Record Label Affiliations: Loose Your Friends

NO MORE SHADOWS Interview FEB. 2005
Interviewed by Somsay.(First MSN Messenger Live Chat Interview)

No More Shadows Profile

Age: (Stuart) I'm 30 and the other half of No More Shadows is also 30.

Heights: (Stuart) foot 9 inches - not sure what that is in cm I'm afraid, Rory is 5 foot 10 - and he had got about a 7 inch beard at the moment - he's a real hairy bugger, sorry - I'm dyslexic and can’t spell for shit I'm afraid.

Weights: (Stuart) 70 Kgs, not sure what Rory, the other chap is...

Average heart beat per minute: (Stuart) 42 - honest I'm a sub 3 hour marathon runner, Rory about 84 - he's skinny but gets his sport from smoking and doing 8 ounce beer curls

Bed times: (Stuart) Me around midnight - Rory around 4 am, he just don’t need any sleep for some reason, I think his record is 4 days being awake, total night owl.

Color of toe hairs: (Stuart) Hang on...light brown - Rory’s will be jet black, and I have no idea why I know that

Pubic Hair length: (Stuart) Well I don’t own a tape measure that's curly enough.....

Favorite Pop Song: (Stuart) ABBA - SOS, Cant say for Rory - I'll have to ask him I'm afraid, But I'm having a guess at a Britney number or something very similar

Favorite soap brand to clean your dirty underwear: (Stuart) At the moment its got to be Fairly non bio, but its the fabric conditioner that makes all the difference. That said I still cant get them as clean smelling as my mum - guess I'm a failure

Records: (Stuart) Well - right now its the Push The Putton album by the Chemical brothers a real return to form - love it, but my favorite of all time. Depends on the mood - but...Tainted Love - Gloria Jones, Most things by Buddy Holly and Elvis, The Killers Hot Fuss - bloody brilliant!

Band: (Stuart) Tough one, but its a toss up between The Stones, Guns n Roses and anything done by Johnny Cash, not quite a band that last one. I could have taken days over that question, and it would have meant me going through loads of stuff before I was happy, my favorite bands change with my moods / the weather etc., they never stay fixed for long. but that’s cool - keeps points of reference fresh and avoids inevitable staleness

Models: (Stuart) Trouble is - I tend not to fancy / notice famous people and those in the public eye, its the people I meet day to day that make me stop and turn, I guess I'm too much of a realist insofar there is little point in seeking the unobtainable - sure set goals, but make them realistic, so I would have to say my wife, Poppy, and the lady at the deli on the corner......

Synths: (Stuart) I'm 80% software based so its got to be Absynth 2 or Hydra, Rory on the other hand swears by his Virus and Proteus 2000 - he likes messing round with wires, I on the other hand really cant be bothered with all of that these days - that’s what Apple Macs are for That said - the band I was in had a full on Hammond. that was a brilliant, if very heavy piece of kit. It needed its own Transit Van and two grown men just to move the bugger

VST or AU FX Plugin: (Stuart) VST for us - I've not used the AU so I cant say which is better. I guess its down to what I tried first - no point changing now.



The Interview

Tell us about your label and when did you chaps start it?
(Stuart) Well the idea behind “Lose Your Friends”(www.loseyourfriends.co.uk) is a couple of years old, that said - its only been a “real” label for 6 or so months. Rory and I spent a good year wondering if we could really add anything to the scene by creating the label and putting our own, and other stuff out. I guess it was us just verging on the cautious side, not wanting to put our fledgling reputations on the line in an environment where that is pretty much everything.

Where did you get that name, "Lose Your Friends"--for your label?
(Stuart) Well - its a funny, sad, stupid story really, We had this label idea, but we had no name. I was out in London a while ago and for what ever reason - I ended up having an argument with the chap who was the best man at my wedding. I don’t really remember what it was about, although I do remember him saying I was about to lose my friends and had better do something about it. What ever "it" was - I've no idea and the name just stuck it was going to be the name of a track we were working on - but we just talked it up into something bigger. Good can come out of anger I suppose.

So you (Stuart) and Rory go by the alias "No More Shadows", where did that come from? And how did you two meet to form No More Shadows?
(Stuart) We both went to Birmingham University, although we never met till after we had graduated. Back in 2000 there was a fuel strike here in the UK and there was no petrol about - Rory and I ended up meeting on bar of a "little Chef" in Norwich - both with empty cars waiting for the petrol to arrive. We got talking and realized we had similar interests. We were both DJ's and musicians and agreed to meet up later - just to see what we were both into. Turns out we both were into the same sort of funk, hip hop breaks and soul - it seemed natural to hook up. We were doing stuff before we became, “No More Shadows”, though - that only came about after a drunken night out and there was some X-files reruns on BBC. We had been up for what seemed like days. and we were watching the X-files when Skully said to Mulder something like "that’s it.... No More Shadows". The name stuck so yes - we have the X-files to thank for the name. I'm not sure if I should be too proud though, did you see the movie? lol

Can you please tell us the Direction of your sound for your label “Lose All Your Friends? Where do you plan go with it? Sticking to Breaks or what?
(Stuart) Yup - we are going to stick with the breaks vibe. At the moment I see the breaks scene going to shift apart into two parties. On one hand, you are going to see the bass line sound and the other the housey / techno type of stuff. As for Loose Your Friends - sure we will embrace the darker baseline stuff - but we see it as the beginnings of something bigger. The 1st 3 / 4 Loose Your Friends releases will feature a mixture of both sounds. We have a few well known and new people who really are able to help shape the scene into something we want it to be. Its all about evolution - and we plan to be at the forefront.

How is the underground scene in the UK in your opinion?
(Stuart) Its coming along really well at the moment. In terms of breaks - there are so many small time nights that are pulling in people week after week and month after months. Ofcourse, we have our own Hum's and Fabric's but at the grass roots level. Things are looking really strong - its a very positive movement to be involved with at the moment. Sure - the media will, and has talked about, the death of clubbing in the UK for the past 2 / 3 years. In all honesty, the sort of club scene they say is dying isn't anything I can identify with at the moment.

Where have No More Shadows traveled to so far? And where was your favorite gig and why?
(Stuart) Well - so far we have played in Italy, Guernsey (Channel Islands), Spain and the USA - I love playing away from the UK...the buzz is wonderful. as for best gig. It has to be the one we did in August 2004 in Guernsey. It was our 1st outdoor festival and we were on the main stage playing in the early evening infront of about 2000 people. The gig was in a Norman Castle and the sun was setting over the ramparts as we were playing. The castle was right by the sea and it was a high tide too - we spent the gig getting covered in sea spray. Really a gig to remember - I can picture it, and it makes me smile

Do you have a normal job on the side of breaks?
Sadly I do, I'm a Telecoms engineer and Rory is a freelance writer. Well, I play with mobile phones all day. I think I have 14 of them - at the last count.  I'll have to chant the company manta, "As of yet, there is no proven link between cell phones and any instance of human conditional malice..." corperate bollocks. 

Anyone at work know about your alter egos?
Only a few, I tend not to mention it as many people will assume I'm a drugged out shell of a human only able to function after I've necked 3 pills and drunk half my weight in Vodka. My boss knows - and is cool with it. A few other people know too but not that many...it is not really the done thing to be djing till 5 am and then getting to work by 8 In these instances - I'm not overly what people call productive. Still - when people ask why am I looking as if I've had 3 hours sleep - I tell them. Most people think it rather cool - although they have no idea what breaks are, and I refuse to say its slowed down DnB.

Are people still using the any form of external sampler, in the UK or have people gotten used to the ease of software samplers like Kontakt or the Esx24? Do you hear the difference between digital and analogue or it just really doesn’t matter anymore for you? Which one do you use?
For me - I'm not that fussed, I use Kontakt myself althoug,h Rory swears by his rack mounted sampler - which we have been using this weekend. To be honest, I find software far easier to manage and use. I guess its all down to what you as a producer feel comfortable with. Its down to personal taste - nothing more. That said - it's an area that does tend to get people quite excited, its often fun to watch and stand back as the fireworks go off.

Did you study music in school? And do you use music theory in anyway for your breaks?
I started playing the violin aged 8 and then went on to learn the piano, drums, and the saxophone. None of my family are that musical - although my wife is a former session violin player. I suppose its hard not to use the theory in any sort of music you make. There is no getting away form it - once its nailed into you, its hard not to put it into practice. That said - I've never been able to read music - my dyslexia means the notes seem to move around the page in a comedy style. I've always learned by listening - play me a tune and I'll play it back to you - that’s how I've learned, to the great stress of a few music teachers. The theory is important - but its not something to get overly wrapped up in, if its against the grain but sounds great - then that’s even better in my view.

How do you use your subs in your productions? Do you layer them under the kick drums or do you just find kick drums with subs already or do you layer them under your baselines?
We tend to layer them under the bass lines. Don’t ask me why - we started off doing that and it seems to work for us so we aren't about to change it right now. We seem to spend far to long on the subs. But they really are important - we have an idea they are the backbone of the track giving it strength, form and rigidity (is that a word??). Oh, and I like the way you can keel your vital organs bounce around while you are doing them.

Do girls call you more frequently since you started playing out? If so do they talk to you or do they just giggle and hang up?
We’ll, I have to admit yes that is true. I've been attached for the best part of 7 years although Rory more than makes up for me in that department. That’s not to paint him in a bad light - he just gets loads of ladies falling over themselves to talk to him, lucky bugger.

What computer platform do you work on? A PC or Mac and why?
Mac, why - good question...for me, I find the Mac to be far easier to use - and so reliable. I don’t think I have ever had it crash on me. That said - I'm a closet Geek - I majored in Computer Science and I always used UNIX at school - the Mac is built on similar foundations so it feels natural to me. I've nothing against PCs mind - I've no need to preach Mac elitism - again, like so many things - its down to what feels right

What sequencer do you use? And why?
Cubase SX - it feels so natural to use. that said - I've not used anything else and I'm not about to try to learn anything else at the moment. I'm often told logic is the way forward. but what I don’t know about it wont hurt me - I'll stick with Cubase for now thank you.

What's your main piece of studio gear and why?
Well I suppose that has to be the Kontakt. I love it - it is so versatile and can do all the things my brain wants it to do. I really cant say how much I love it. as for Rory - that would have to be his Proteus 2000, or his virus. So many sounds - its just like reading a book you thin you know, but finding it has a new ending every time you read it - brilliant

Do you see breakbeat music moving into a mainstream position soon?
To be honest - no. I think there will always be a number of crossover tunes - but I cant see it becoming what could be considered mainstream. At least here in the UK is this a bad thing? The purist in me says no - not really. I fear an injection of mainstream attention would result in a bandwagon scenario, and I tread with care here. I would ask if breaks could survive the dilution effects that mainstream attention has on any given musical, cultural output? If that makes sense?

What current projects are you working on and would like to talk about?
well - I'm working on a live breaks outfit at the moment, with me on CDJs a mixer and an EFX unit, a Live drummer, a full horn section, and a live bass player. guitar player, and Rory on Ableton Live. Now, that is really fun - we hope to be playing out this summer of 2005. Original breaks tracks and other well known ones too  - both breaks tracks and our own versions of classic songs - with a breaks twist. Rory and I are also working on a live NMS show, with our 1st gig in Feb., again - we have Ableton live to thank for this. Perhaps jointly we should say that Ableton live is our favorite bit of gear at the moment.

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